2010 Recent Sightings
22nd January : Trims Green - 1000 Fieldfare. View from the bend in the road just SW of Sweetdews (TL 462 168) feeding on the field looking NE towards Morris Farm (Shingle Hall) at 1315 Hrs : Hayter, Spellbrook (west) - Tonights Goldfinch roost containing a minimum of 183 birds - Graeme J. Smith 20th January ' : Spellbrook west finch roost - Goldfinch roost reaching an overwhelming 230+ birds but Greenfinch are unbeleivably still in single figures. Also 1 Grey Wagtail over North (or north from factory roof) - Graeme J. Smith '''19th January ' : Spellbrook Lane West, Spellbrook - 1 Brambling amongst c.15 Chaffinch - Graeme J. Smith '''18th January : Thorley Park Road, B/S - 7 Siskin on niger seed feeder this morning.- Tony Moverley 16th January : Grange Paddocks, River Stort - 1 Lesser Redpoll feeding with charm of 14 Goldfinch in alders and on the towpath - Tony Moverley : SAL (08:40-09:40) - 3 Little Grebe, 69 Mallard, 26 Teal, 9 Gadwall, 3 Tufted Duck (MMF), 1F Pochard, 19 Coot, 1 Snipe (heard only), 4 Skylark (3E, 1SW), 2 Fieldfare (E), - Mike Harris : Note: The Bishop's Stortford 2007 Hoopoe is included in Appendix 1 of that year's Rare Breeding Birds in the UK Report. Present from 24th April to 18th May 2007 the entry on page 50 of the January 2010 issue of British Birds records the bird being present during the breeding season and does not claim breeding rather merely that the bird was in suitable habitat and might have bred if a suitable second bird happened also to be present during that period. Which, regrettably, did not happen. 14th January : Lords Avenue, BS - Brambling, Presumably the same bird that frequented the area just before Christmas.Also on 13th - Andrew Palmer Causeway carpark/grange paddocks area - Little Egret, Flying along Stort river c 9am. - Jon Dean, via Keith Watts 13th January : Start Hill, Takeley - Bullfinch, 3 male, 1 female Bullfinch in trees opposite Start Hill Petrol Station - Ellen Franklin NW Bishop's Stortford - Tawny Owl (2), Two Tawny Owls calling at 8 p.m. in the vicinity of Maple Avenue.- Chris Swan 12th January : Thorley Hill, B/S - Neighbour reports a Blackcap frequenting rear garden. Tony Moverley 11th January : Hayter, Spellbrook (west) - A Little Owl calling at 0645 Hrs, Female Sparrowhawk hunting West at 1015 and a Kingfisher flying East parallel to the Spellbrook stream at 1320 Hrs - Graeme J. Smith 10th January : Spellbrook lock, River Stort - A total of 12 Little Grebe (7 north of Spellbrook lock and 5 south). Plus female Bullfinch and 1 Water Rail (showing well preening out in the open). Tony Moverley : Honeysuckle Close - 23 Redwing, 4 Fieldfare incl resident bird still. Also 1 Male Blackcap with many more winter thrush on Oriole Way - Graeme and Kate Smith 9th January : Upwick - Merlin (F) flying down hill in front of car, carrying prey - Mick East : SAL (08:40-09:30) - 4 Little Grebe, 4 Cormorant (S), 2 Mute Swan, 16 Canada Geese, 30 Mallard, 37 Teal, 2 Wigeon (both drakes), 1M Pochard, 1 Tufted Duck, 17 Coot, 2 Common Gull, 2 Green Woodpecker, 2 Pied Wagtail, 1 Meadow Pipit (heard only), 1 Redwing, 11 Blackbird, 15 Fieldfare (9SW, 6 feeding), 1 Goldfinch (heard only), 5 Yellowhammer (N), - Mike Harris : River Stort, town centre to Three Horseshoes for lunch - a dozen or more Coot, 2 Little Grebe, 2 Cormorant, Kingfisher, 200 Wood Pigeon in trees at Thorley Wash, at 1535 a large and straggling flock of Rook and Jackdaw west over old A11, 24 Black-headed Gull in town as usual, Kingfisher at Twyford Lock. Mallard, large dark feral Mallard with whitish head, Kestrel, Moorhen, Collared Dove, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Fieldfare 8, Song Thrush 2, Redwing 8, Long-tailed Tit 3, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Jay, Magpie, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch - David Arch 8th January : Allen's Green - Peregrine(M), hunting by paint ball track 14:50 - Mick & Brenda East : Southern Country Park - 2 Little Owl on SE corner, 100 yards West of Obrey Way bypass roundabout on fence and seen on my way to work just after 0700 Hrs. Spellbrook (west) - pale Common Buzzard still Honeysuckle Close - 1 resident Fieldfare on 2nd day terrorising Blackbirds, few Redwing and a high count of Goldfinch with 8 at once - Graeme and Kate Smith 7th January : Southern Country Park, south-east of Church Lane - 5 Meadow Pipit.- Chris Dee Hayter, Spellbrook (west) - c.500 Woodpigeon feeding between Spellbrook and Thorley Church, the Goldfinch Roost at the Left hand side as you look up the Hayter entrance drive reached a really good c.110 birds, a pair of Bullfinch and 1 pale-rumped Common Buzzard hanging around North Field returned depite being flushed - Graeme J. Smith Honeysuckle Close, B/S - 1 Fieldfare in our garden all day, occasionally joined by upto 8 Redwing - Kate Smith 6th January : Hayter, Spellbrook (west) - Goldfinch roost only numbering around 30 as we left early at 1500 Hrs and at Lunch an unusual 7 Skylark over South Trims Green - 1 Brown Hare, 15 Fieldfare low East Oriole Way - 25 (+) Redwing and 16 Fieldfare favouring the entrance to The Brambles - Graeme J. Smith 5th January : Thorley Park Road, B/S - 1 Redpoll with 7 Siskin and 8+ Goldfinch on niger seed feeder in garden. Tony Moverley : Farnham - Bullfinch X 6 - Mick East : Thorley Wash - Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in the poplars on the south bank of the Wash, 2 Water Rail; at least 6 Teal (on the backwater); a Treecreeper, 1 Woodcock, and a Muntjac.- Dave Sampson : Hayter, Spellbrook (west) - Goldfinch roost reaching c.90 birds at around 1600 Hours, 1 Kestrel, only 3 Redwing and 1 Fieldfare as the bushes here have been stripped - Graeme J. Smith 4th January : Sawbridgeworth Marsh (15:15 - dusk) - 2 Cormorant (south), 1 Buzzard (?male), 2 Water Rail, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, only c.35 Woodpigeon, 38 Meadow Pipit (in), 46 Jackdaw (south), 4 Crow, 1 Jay, 5 Reed Bunting (in). - Chris Dee : Spellbrook Lock - A Water Rail seen in a roadside ditch and at least two Bullfinches calling nearby. - Tony Moverley : Trims Green (Morris Farm buildings) - Little Owl calling in darkness at 0700 also single Golden Plover heard - Graeme J. Smith 3rd January : SAL (08:30-09:30) - 6 Little Grebe ,98 Mallard, 1F Teal, 13 Gadwall, 1F Tufted Duck, 1M Pochard, 1 Common Buzzard, 14 Coot, 8 BH Gull (N), 11 Common Gull (N), 3 LBB Gull (N), 1 Ad Herring Gull (N), 1 LITTLE OWL (daylight hunting - hard times?), 2 Green Woodpecker, 300 Wood Pigeon (field west of lagoons), 1 Pied Wagtail, 7 Meadow Pipit, 3 Fieldfare (N), 2 Blackbird, 1 CHIFFCHAFF (in bushes by northern pumping station), 3 Starling (N) - Mike Harris : Spellbrook 12:45 - Bittern, one flew up from Tednambury Marsh by the River Stort this afternoon - Birdguides. : Stort Park Farm - 1 Little Owl, 1 Common Buzzard, 5 Green Woodpecker, 22 (+) Redwing, 8 Fieldfare, 1 Mistle Thrush, 2 Bullfinch, 2 Jay, 13 Magpie is a considerable site count, 6 Wren on Stonechat corner all seemed to be claiming their patch and 1 Grey Heron over South has become a site regular since Autumn, favouring fish from SPF house pond and resting on SW lawn or field to the South. Honeysuckle Close B/S - 2 Mute Swan SE over my house is only one of a handful on my fly over list - Graeme J. Smith : Dane O'Coys Road near Whitehall and Cricketfield Lane by the cricket club - Green Woodpecker, GS Woodpecker, Mistle Thrush, Goldcrest (2), LT Tit (7), Blue Tit - lots, Great Tit (3+), Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, Plus lots of Jackdaw and a few Carrion Crow in the nearby fields. - Chris Swan 2nd January : Trims Green (11:15-11:30) - 321 Golden Plover (280 @ TL467177 & 41 @ TL472167) - Mike Harris 1st January 2010 : SAL (09:00-09:45) - 5 Little Grebe, 119 Mallard , 6 Teal, 4 Gadwall, 4 Tufted Duck, 1 AdF Sparrowhawk (chasing a Green Woodpecker!), 16 Coot, 1 Common Gull (W), 3 Green Woodpecker, 2 Meadow Pipit, 3 Redwing (W), 2 Blackbird, 1 Starling (N), 3 Goldfinch (2W, 1NE), 2 Greenfinch (N) - Mike Harris 27 species to open my new year account. (1400 - 1600) All Saints Close - Great Tit, Blackbird, Collared Dove, Road to Hatfield Forest - Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, Jay, Hatfield Forest Lake - Green Woodpecker, Black-headed Gull, Teal, Gadwall, Robin, Magpie, Canada Goose, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Shoveler, Rook. Takeley Street - Starling, Blue Tit, House Sparrow. Approach to SAL - Kingfisher in brook at Pinckneys, Goldfinch, Dunnock. SAL - Tufted Duck 3, Little Grebe 1, Carrion Crow - David Arch. Stort Park Farm (east) - 3 Fieldfare, c.25 Redwing, 1 Little owl on usual tree - Graeme J. Smith